Bay food banks seeing rise in distribution

Tony Mixon @TmixonPCNH93

Monday

Apr 6, 2020 at 11:04 AM

"We’ve seen an increase in new families coming in and seeking help when it comes to food. Quite a few of them have lost jobs, but some have had their hours cut and don’t know how they’ll be able to afford food."

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PANAMA CITY — Area food pantries have seen a rise in need as more people lose their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Feeding Florida Network, there has been a 30% increase in distribution across all 67 counties.

One of the food pantries in Bay County experiencing this is Catholic Charities on 11th Street.

“We’ve seen an increase in new families coming in and seeking help when it comes to food,” said Brenda Helmas, program specialist for the Panama City office of Catholic Charities. “Quite a few of them have lost jobs, but some have had their hours cut and don’t know how they’ll be able to afford food.”

According to Helmas, the COVID-19 situation is similar to what happened after Hurricane Michael. She said Catholic Charities has used the lessons learned from the natural disaster to deal with the pandemic.

The only difference for Catholic Charities during the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Michael is how food distribution is handled. They have to be extra careful when handling food so they don’t possibly spread the virus to other people.

Helmas said that they have to do appointments when distributing food to people who need it. Catholic Charities does up to five appointments every 30 minutes.

Hours have changed for different food pantries because of the coronavirus. Some in Bay County have decided to close due to the virus.

Food banks are considered essential business during the state’s stay-at-home order.